Secrets of the Medjai Spring Special - Medjai Blood
by J-R Virtual Seasons
Summary: Much has changed during the ten years since our previous visit to the Medjai Academy, and now Michael and Emma O'Connell are about to find out just how tough growing up can be.
1. Chapter 1

Michael and Emma O'Connell were sitting side by side on the floor of a dimly lit cave, with their backs pressed against the wall and their chins resting on their folded arms, which in turn were resting on their raised knees.

'Do you feel like going home yet?' asked Michael.

Emma shrugged, made a face and then said, 'I really hope they're going to keep their promise.'

'You mean today?' said Michael.

'Of course,' said Emma. 'They said I could start my Medjai training when I was eleven, and today is my eleventh birthday, so!'

'You'll be eleven for a while yet, Emmy,' said Michael. 'They might not have meant you could start _today_.'

'It's the only birthday present I want,' Emma said, letting out a sigh of longing.

'If we don't get back in time for the party, you might not get any presents at all,' Michael pointed out.

'Better that than another one of those stupid Toni fashion doll things!' Emma said with feeling.

Michael laughed, then a slightly disagreeable expression crossed his face. 'You're lucky they're letting you start when you're eleven – I had to wait 'til I turned twelve!' he said, somewhat sulkily.

'Aw, poor baby!' Emma laughed, reaching out to smack him.

Michael laughed again and brushed her hand away. Emma grinned, and ruffled his hair instead.

'I really am vastly underappreciated at that place, though,' Michael persisted. 'My Medjai skills have advanced far beyond my training, and that's a fact! I don't know why Ardeth hasn't moved me up to purple sash level yet.'

'He probably thinks you're not ready.'

'What Ardeth thinks doesn't really interest me very much anymore, to be honest with you. He's old and out of touch – he has no idea what he's doing!'

'You're absolutely sure you're ready for a purple sash, then?'

'Of course I'm ready! I'm the best Medjai warrior in my class, despite the fact that everyone else is at least a year older than me! I'm just like Alex used to be... in that particular respect, at least.'

'You're getting a big head, Mikey,' said Emma.

'There's nothing wrong with being aware of your own abilities... and proud of them too, where appropriate,' said Michael. 'None of the instructors has anything left to teach me – I bet I could run rings around any one of them in single combat!'

'I thought the way of the Medjai was supposed to be all about teamwork,' said Emma.

'That's just another one of Ardeth's antiquated mantras!' said Michael. 'I deserve that purple sash, Emmy – I really, really do!'

'Well, I'm sure we'll both get what we want when the time is right,' said Emma, suddenly jumping to her feet. 'Anyway, let's do like you suggested and get back for the party.'

Michael adopted an unenthusiastic expression and said, 'Are you sure you wouldn't like to stay a while longer? They'd never find us – no one knows we come here.'

'I've decided I want my presents,' Emma grinned, 'even if one of them _is_ a Toni fashion doll!'

Michael smiled, grasped Emma's proffered hand and pulled himself to his feet. The pair of them left the cave with their hands still clasped tightly together, and their heads inclined towards each other. They maintained this comfortable and companionable bearing as they walked back over the rope bridge, and then on towards the Medjai Academy.

* * *

Emma's birthday party was in its closing stages. Michael and Emma had both stuffed themselves with food and were sitting at a table together, looking and feeling quite replete. Alex and Evy were talking by the buffet table, while Ardeth Bay was saying something to Fadil that was causing them both to wear rather dour expressions. Yanit and Tara, who were both fairly heavily pregnant, were laughing together as they polished off the last of the sausage rolls.

'No Toni fashion doll, Emmy,' Michael grinned across the table.

'No,' Emma sighed, placing her chin on her right fist, 'but still...'

She watched with little interest as Alex suddenly ducked under the buffet table, but then she sat up and paid attention as he emerged with a small canvas bag in his hands.

'Just one more thing before we all go our separate ways, guys,' Alex announced. 'I have a couple more presents to give out. Come on now, Emmy – close your eyes; no cheating.'

Emma's hopeful gaze lingered on Alex for a few more seconds, then she forced herself to shut her eyes. Alex came over and pressed a length of silky material into her grip. When Emma opened her eyes and saw what she had been presented with, she squeaked in delight and beamed all over her face.

'A white sash!' Emma declared rapturously. 'Thank you so much, Dad!'

'I know how much this means to you, Emmy,' said Alex. 'You'll start your Medjai training tomorrow morning, with Ardeth and the other recruits. Everything's been arranged.'

Emma grinned, then she threw her arms around Alex's neck. Alex smiled and hugged her for a few seconds, then he pulled away and put his hand back into the canvas bag.

'_Another_ present, Dad?' said Emma.

'Yes,' said Alex, 'but I'm afraid this one isn't for you, sweetheart.'

With that, Alex produced a purple sash and handed it to Michael, who seemed unable to do anything except sit and stare at it, dumbfounded.

'Do you like your present, Mikey?' Evy prompted him.

'Yes,' said Michael, sounding unusually quiet. 'Oh my God, yes. This is... this is...'

'This is what you've earned, and what you deserve,' said Alex. 'I hope you'll wear it with pride, Mike.'

Michael looked at Alex for several seconds with large, damp eyes, then he hugged him tightly. Alex smiled and hugged his brother back.

'Alex, I... I really didn't expect this,' said Michael. 'I mean, I thought -'

'That just proves you really deserve it, as you weren't expecting it,' said Alex. 'Why don't you try it on?'

Michael nodded, pulled away from Alex and then rose to his feet. He slipped the purple sash over his left shoulder and pulled it into place across his body, then he looked down at it, grinned, let out a deafening whoop and started jumping up and down in paroxysms of joy. Everyone smiled at the sight, except for Ardeth, who was still looking dour.

'Put yours on too, Emmy!' Yanit called across the room.

Emma averted her gaze from Michael; she had been smiling at him like almost everyone else. Finally remembering the sash in her own hands, she stood up and slipped it on, before beaming round at everyone. A round of applause rippled around the room; even Ardeth joined in with it, and allowed himself to smile at last.

* * *

Alex was getting into bed when a tentative knock sounded on the bedroom door.

'Come in!' Alex called, hastily pulling the covers over himself. 'Oh, hi Mom.'

Evy advanced a little way into the room and gave Alex an uncertain smile.

'Is Yanit in the bathroom?' she asked, nodding towards the closed door.

'Yeah, she is,' said Alex.

'Maybe that's for the best,' said Evy, half to herself. 'Alex, I know you're the Supreme Medjai and you don't need your ghastly old mother telling you what to do, but -'

'Mom, you're not ghastly _or_ old!' Alex told her firmly. 'And that's the Supreme Medjai's official judgement, okay?'

Evy smiled, and came to perch herself on the edge of the bed.

'Darling,' she said, 'Ardeth is very concerned, and so am I. We both agree that Michael just isn't ready for a purple sash.'

'I'll be the judge of that,' said Alex, sounding suddenly a little hostile. 'I _have_ been the judge of that, in fact.'

'But don't you think it would be better to wait for a few months?' said Evy. 'Michael's training has been advancing very swiftly of course, but -'

'He's ready for that purple sash, Mom,' said Alex. 'I'm not going to tell him he's not, and I don't think he'd appreciate his mother doing so either!'

Evy sighed and said, 'Alex, sweetheart, you know you're too soft on your brother, don't you?'

'I am not!' Alex said indignantly. 'I didn't let _him_ start training at eleven, like Emma's about to!'

'But you would've done if I hadn't specifically asked you not to, wouldn't you?'

'Um, well... yeah, probably.'

'Don't get me wrong, Alex – Mike's a lovely boy in many ways and I'm over the moon that the two of you are so close, but... well, I've seen him in training and I have to agree with Ardeth that he can be something of a loose cannon amongst the recruits. He needs taking in hand, really... and you'd be the best person to do that, Alex, but you'll never hear a word against him!'

'Mom, I don't want to start messing with Mike's head! It would only make him lose confidence in himself and in his Medjai training; and I know – you _know_ I know, Mom – just how awful and depressing that can be!'

'Yes, darling, I do know that,' Evy sighed, 'but the simple fact is that Michael lacks discipline and could be very dangerous in a real-life combat situation... to others and to himself, I mean. As I said, he needs to be taken in hand; not to be promoted to the next sash too soon.'

'I disagree; I think that purple sash is exactly what he needs,' said Alex. 'I trust my brother, and I believe he'll come through and surprise us all.'

'Well... maybe you're right, Alex,' said Evy. 'You usually are, I suppose. Just... just promise me you'll think about what I've said, okay?'

'Okay, Mom,' said Alex, giving her a small smile, 'I promise I'll think about it.'

As Evy rose to her feet and headed back towards the slightly open door, Michael pulled away from the crack and ran to hide himself in the shadows of the corridor. He watched his mother emerge from the bedroom and then turn to walk away in the opposite direction. He kept his eyes trained on her back, and frowned.

* * *

Early the next morning, Emma was in the assembly hall with about a dozen other young recruits. Most of them – including Emma – were wearing white sashes, although two boys had already progressed to the level of orange sash. Emma was aware that several looks of curiosity were being cast in her direction, as well as a couple of somewhat suspicious ones. Just as she was beginning to feel acutely uncomfortable, Ardeth entered the room and took his place on the raised stage.

'The most important thing you will learn in these sessions,' Ardeth announced without preamble, 'is to trust your fellow Medjai. Any one Medjai on his own – or on _her_ own, of course – is weaker and more vulnerable than any truly collaborative team of even the greenest recruits. You must all learn to rely on each other, and to regard your own personal skills as merely a component part of a much greater force. But I'm not asking you simply to take my word on that. Here is a single arrow. Try to snap it, Kevin.'

Ardeth threw the arrow to one of the recruits with an orange sash, who deftly caught it and easily snapped it in half, causing him to look unduly pleased with himself.

'As you see,' said Ardeth, 'the strength of one alone is easily overcome. However, when several are united as one...'

Ardeth produced a bundle of about ten arrows and threw them to Emma. She caught them without difficulty, then proceeded to stare at them blankly.

'Try to snap them, Emma,' Ardeth prompted her.

Emma grasped the arrows in both hands and made the required motion with her arms. There came several loud cracking sounds as all the arrows splintered down the middle.

'Whoa!' Kevin exclaimed.

'The new girl's a freak, man!' someone else whispered.

Emma went very red, and looked down at her feet. Murmurings went around the group until Ardeth spoke again.

'Right, well what _should_ happen is,' said Ardeth, 'the arrows don't break when they're all bundled together, proving that they – like you – are stronger when united as one.'

'Unless they come across a single unexpectedly strong adversary, huh?' said Kevin.

Ardeth shot him a look, but did not reply. Still very red in the face, Emma handed him the broken arrows.

'I'm sorry I ruined your demonstration, Ardeth,' she said in a small voice.

'That's fine, Emma,' said Ardeth. 'I'm sure it was my fault – I didn't pick out the right arrows this morning. Now then, everyone, let's get to work on our team skills by playing our hoop game for a while. I'll come round and distribute the staffs, but if I see anyone deliberately hitting anyone else with one, they'll be straight out of my Medjai training programme, understand?'

'Yes, Ardeth,' everyone chorused.

'Good,' said Ardeth. 'Kevin, you're one team captain; Oscar, you're the other. Pick your teams while I hand out the staffs.'

'I want Emma!' Kevin said at once.

'Fine with me, man,' said Oscar.

'Er... hi,' Emma said nervously, as she approached her team captain. 'I'm Emma O'Connell.'

Kevin smiled, held out his hand and said, 'Hi, I'm Kevin Brook.'

Emma smiled back, and shook Kevin's hand.

* * *

Emma entered the dormitory corridor smiling all over her face, and ran straight into Evy.

'Oh, you're finished,' Evy remarked. 'How was it, sweetheart?'

'Goodness, Granny, it was so much fun!' said Emma, still beaming. 'I really enjoyed chucking that hoop around and I scored five goals, then I directed Ardeth all around the assembly hall with his eyes closed while everyone watched, then I fell backwards and Kevin caught me!'

'You mean you fell backwards deliberately?' said Evy.

'Of course!' Emma laughed. 'It was a trust exercise. Can I go along to Mikey's room and tell him all about it?'

'Yes, of course,' said Evy. 'I've just been to see him myself, actually. He seems a little down, but I'm sure he'd be pleased to see you.'

Emma smiled and nodded, then she ran along to Michael's room and pushed the door fully open. Michael was sitting on the floor beside his bed, staring down into his lap. He looked up with a dejected expression on his face, but he smiled when he saw who his visitor was.

'I've finished my first training session, Mikey!' Emma informed him enthusiastically. 'Can I sit on your bed and tell you all about it?'

'I'd really like that, Emmy,' Michael replied, pulling himself up onto the edge of the bed as he spoke. 'You sure look like you enjoyed yourself.'

'I did!' Emma grinned, taking a seat next to him. 'I played stick-hoop and I did a couple of trust exercises and I think some of the recruits think I'm a bit weird – I'll tell you why in a minute – but I know Kevin likes me and I think maybe some of the others are starting to come around.'

'You made friends with Kevin, huh?' said Michael, looking slightly put out. 'I've heard him being spoken about with quite a lot of enthusiasm.'

'Who by?'

'Alex and Ardeth, mainly. So, he's your friend now, huh?'

'Yeah, he is,' said Emma. 'But you don't need to be jealous, Mikey – he may be my friend, but he's not you!'

'Hey, who said I was jealous?'

'The look on your face when I mentioned him.'

'I wasn't even thinking about Kevin, okay? I was thinking about... something else.'

'You can't hide the truth from me, Mikey,' Emma said gravely. 'You were jealous and that's all there is to it... and jealous people have to be tickled!'

With that, Emma launched herself at Michael and subjected his ribs to a thorough tickling. Michael laughed and squealed and went very red.

'Emmy, stop it!' he protested half-heartedly. 'Okay, okay, I admit I was jealous! I'm sorry, I'm really sorry!'

Emma continued her assault for a few more seconds, then she retreated. She grinned at Michael as he wiped his streaming eyes.

'You know, Mikey, you're getting real pecs now,' Emma remarked.

'So, are you going to tell me the details of your first training session, then?' Michael asked, when the power of speech returned to him.

'Yes, I am,' said Emma. 'Just wait 'til you hear this!'

* * *

A little later, in the refectory, Alex was finishing off his evening meal when Ardeth came to sit opposite him.

'I want to talk to you about your daughter, Alex,' said Ardeth.

'Go right ahead, Ardeth,' said Alex.

'I believe that she is developing the powers of the Supreme Medjai,' said Ardeth. 'This morning she managed to snap ten arrows at once, during my teamwork demonstration. Even you couldn't snap ten arrows at once when you tried it, Alex.'

'Hey, my powers hadn't started to show themselves yet!' said Alex. 'Besides, I bet I could've done it if I'd _really_ wanted to.'

'Perhaps so, but let's not get sidetracked,' said Ardeth. 'Emma is definitely developing Supreme Medjai powers.'

'I know she is,' said Alex, sighing heavily. 'She can read minds – I've felt her inside mine several times – although I don't think she realises she's doing it. I should've talked to her about it before now... I really did mean to, but then I kept putting it off just in case... well, just in case I was mistaken.'

'But in your heart of hearts, you always knew that you were not mistaken, right?'

'Yeah, that's right. I only held back because the last thing I'd ever want to do is screw with Emmy's head... but I guess by not telling her, I'm doing that even more than I would've done by telling her. I promise I'll speak to her, Ardeth... real soon, I mean.'

'I think that would be wise,' said Ardeth.

'Ardeth, I want to thank you for your concern about my family,' said Alex. 'Not just Emma, but Michael as well. I have to say, I'm very glad you came straight to me about Emma, instead of going through my mom, like you did with your concerns about Michael.'

'Evy had her own concerns about Michael too,' Ardeth said levelly. 'She _is_ his mother, after all.'

'You don't have to tell me that,' said Alex. 'Anyway, you can rest assured that I'll deal with both those kids, in my own time and my own way.'

'But I don't suppose you're considering taking that purple sash away from your brother, are you?'

'Not for a moment.'

* * *

The following morning, Safin was woken by a sudden beam of sunlight finding its way through a gap in the curtains and shining on his face. He blinked, yawned and stretched, then he turned to look into the eyes of the person who was lying in bed next to him.

'Hey,' said James.

'Hey,' said Safin.

'Are you glad you didn't go back to your own room last night?' James asked.

'I'm incredibly glad,' Safin assured him. 'Can I stay here again tonight?'

James grinned and said, 'You can stay here forever if you want.'

Safin reached out with his lips, James moved to meet them, and the two kissed each other tenderly. When they finally drew apart, Safin noticed that James was looking a little pensive.

'What's up, Jimmy?' Safin asked.

'I have a confession to make, Saf,' said James. 'Me and Iqbal had a fight last night, in the refectory after you'd left. He... he knows about us.'

'Oh dear; I kind of thought he might,' Safin sighed. 'He's not taking the change so well, huh?'

'I've never seen him so upset,' said James.

'I suppose he thinks I stole you from him.'

'You can't steal someone who doesn't want to be stolen. I love Iqbal and I always will but... well, the way it was with me and him, it was never like it is with you, Saf.'

'How is it with me?' Safin said quietly.

'You know,' said James.

They kissed each other again, very passionately this time.

'Oh no, I've just remembered something!' Safin suddenly exclaimed. 'I'm supposed to go out on patrol tonight, with Fadil. We won't be back 'til after midnight. Kind of puts a damper on our plans, huh?'

'Not at all,' James purred. 'I'll wait up for you.'

* * *

Early that afternoon, Yanit and Tara were drinking coffee together in the refectory.

'This is nice,' said Yanit, smiling at Tara over the top of her mug.

'Yes,' said Tara, smiling back. 'It's always pleasant to spend a few moments together, just the two of us, and talk about ladies' things. Plus I'm glad to be able to take the weight off my feet whenever I get the chance. My legs are swollen up like balloons!'

'I know exactly what you mean,' Yanit assured her. 'I just ache all up my legs and back if I stand up for more than about ten seconds at a time!'

'The thing I find most tedious is the constant trips to the toilet,' said Tara. 'I swear this baby thinks my bladder is some kind of head rest!'

'Maybe we shouldn't be drinking all this coffee, huh?' Yanit laughed.

'Yeah, maybe not,' Tara grinned back at her.

'It's the constant heartburn I'm not looking forward to,' said Yanit. 'It's not really _painful_ as such, but it just gets so tedious... rather like the incessant trips to the bathroom, I suppose.'

'How are you finding your current pregnancy compared to your first?'

'I'll let you in on a little secret, Tara. I found the experience much easier on my body when I was pregnant at seventeen... and I'm quite certain that everything isn't going to just spring back nicely into place when it's all over, like it did last time... but I probably shouldn't spread that point of view around because it might set a bad example to the young recruits... or an undesirable precedent, maybe.'

'Yanit, you're an exemplary role model and you must never think otherwise, for any reason,' Tara said firmly. 'But still, that's very interesting. I suppose the human body really is at its physical peak between the ages of about sixteen and twenty, even though we're very much still growing up emotionally during that period.'

'Ain't that the truth!' Yanit said with feeling. 'Of course, Alex entered his physical peak at the age of thirteen and I don't think he's come out of it yet.'

'That's how old he was when you met him, right?' said Tara.

'That's right.'

'And you were driven mad with sexual desire for him even then?'

'God, yes.'

'But you didn't actually... do it with him when he was thirteen, did you?'

'Not when he was _thir_teen, no,' said Yanit, giggling slightly.

'Yanit, you're such a cradle-snatcher!' said Tara, giggling too. 'You'll probably dump Alex and move on to Michael in a few months!'

'Hmm... I don't think so,' said Yanit. 'Even if I _did_ experience an insatiable desire to get myself a new thirteen-year-old O'Connell boy, I don't think Michael's the choice I'd make, to be honest with you. I mean, what really attracted me to Alex – all joking aside – was the incredibly strong emotional bond we formed, and Michael... well, I really don't think he has what Alex has.'

'I think your daughter might disagree with you there,' Tara remarked.

'Yes, I'm sure she would,' said Yanit. 'In some ways I'm over the moon that Emma and Michael are so close, but in others... well, I can't help thinking he might be a bad influence on her somehow, or he might thoughtlessly put her in some kind of terrible danger someday. But I haven't told Emmy any of that because I don't want to smother her.'

'Yeah,' said Tara, 'then you'd get the chair.'

They both laughed appreciatively at this quip, and took another sip of coffee.

'Was it _really_ your emotional bond that most attracted you to Alex?' Tara asked at length.

'Yes,' said Yanit.

'Not the fact that he's always been pure, unadulterated sex on legs?'

'That's completely incidental, I assure you. And you're not allowed to think Alex is sexy, okay?'

'Why not?'

'Because he's too young for you!'

They both collapsed into fits of laughter, and then drank some more coffee.

'Listen to us, gossiping away like a couple of teenagers,' said Tara. 'Let's get back to more grown-up matters, shall we? I suppose I shouldn't complain about being pregnant. It might be a trial at times, but you get the most wonderful reward at the end of it. Not that I need to tell _you _so, of course.'

'Becoming a mother really _is_ the most wonderful reward, and it really does make the whole thing more than worthwhile,' said Yanit. 'Of course, the actual physical act of becoming a father is still far, far easier, and I guess it always will be. The men still get all the luck, no matter how much the world changes for the better! Oh, not that I'm complaining about anything Alex has done... or anything he hasn't done. I just... I can't help finding myself envying him sometimes... for not being the one who's actually pregnant, I mean.'

'But you still... want him, don't you?' said Tara. 'Like you did when he was thirteen, I mean.'

'Oh yes, very much so,' said Yanit. 'Although that's another trial of being pregnant, come to think of it.'

'You mean the constantly shifting libido?'

'Exactly. Some nights I can hardly bear for Alex to touch me, but then other times I just want to keep doing it all night!'

Tara giggled again and said, 'I bet Alex is still more than capable of doing that, right?'

'Yeah, he is,' said Yanit, going slightly red, 'but it must be hard on him when I blow hot and cold. He won't admit that he finds it frustrating, of course. Alex is so wonderful, Tara. He's always been incredibly kind to me, and imperturbably patient. Last night we just fell asleep holding hands, and we woke up in the same position seven hours later. I can't believe he got much satisfaction out of that.'

'Of course he did!' said Tara. 'Yanit, he loves you. Your happiness is the most important thing in the world to him – I noticed that the first day I met him, and I've never seen even the slightest reason to think about changing my mind.'

'Yeah, it was really nice and comfortable and emotionally intimate,' Yanit agreed, 'but Alex must have found it very frustrating from a sexual point of view.'

'I don't believe that,' said Tara. 'Maybe Alex just doesn't have a very high sex drive.'

'You wouldn't say that if you'd been cohabiting with him for twelve and a half years,' said Yanit, smiling slightly.

'In that case, his undying love for you is obviously far more important to him than any physical aspect of your relationship,' said Tara.

'Mmm... yes, I suppose you're right,' said Yanit, smiling quite a lot now. 'How's the old sex life treating you and Fadil, then? Are you experiencing similar issues?'

'The shifting libido on my part, yes,' said Tara. 'But Fadil's a one bonk a fortnight man anyway, so it doesn't really make any practical difference!'

Yanit laughed so much that coffee started coming out of her nose in torrents. Tara fetched a handful of napkins and the pair of them cleaned up the mess.

'Oh dear,' said Yanit, wiping her streaming eyes, 'we seem to be out of coffee.'

'I'll go get some more,' said Tara.

* * *

Fadil and Safin were walking together through the rapidly darkening desert.

'Tara's getting pretty big now,' Safin remarked.

'She sure is,' Fadil replied.

'I'm looking forward to becoming an uncle,' said Safin.

'I'm glad,' said Fadil, fixing his brother with a smile.

'It's taken long enough, though, hasn't it?' Safin grinned. 'I thought maybe you were firing blanks, bro.'

'Shut up,' Fadil laughed, giving Safin a playful shove.

'Do the two of you still make love?' Safin asked. 'While she's pregnant, I mean. You can't have much of a sex life now, so far as I can see.'

'Well, we didn't have much of a sex life bef... -' Fadil said carelessly, quickly cutting himself off. 'I mean, that's enough about me and Tara. Tell me about you and James. I'm just dying to hear everything, Saf.'

'Everything, huh?'

'Well... okay, maybe not everything. But I'm really pleased and excited for the two of you.'

'I must confess, I'm relieved to hear that, Fadil,' said Safin. 'I was worried you might think that what me and James are doing is... well, wrong.'

'Of course I don't!' said Fadil. 'How could I? I once attempted to start a homosexual relationship myself, as you know.'

'But your prospective partner turned out to be a girl,' Safin pointed out, 'so you weren't having homosexual feelings after all.'

'Maybe not, but the fact remains that I tried to initiate a homosexual relationship, based on what I thought I knew at the time,' said Fadil. 'Love is love, and happily we both have it now.'

Safin smiled and nodded, and snaked an arm around Fadil's waist. Fadil hugged him back.

'So you and James have actually done it, then?' Fadil asked at length.

'Yes,' said Safin. 'We've done quite a lot of stuff, if you really want to know. That's why James realised he needed to break up with Iqbal, because he started doing that stuff with me and it just felt right to both of us. We didn't set out to hurt Iqbal, of course, but...'

'I know, Saf,' said Fadil. 'Sometimes these things can be tricky. I remember how disappointed I was when I realised that Yanit had the raging hots for Alex, but the three of us have always remained the best of friends, and I'm sure the same will be true of you, James and Iqbal.'

'Thanks, bro,' said Safin. 'I am deriving a great deal of comfort from your words. What's that up ahead?'

'Um... it looks like a person,' said Fadil, squinting into the encroaching darkness. 'One who's lying on the ground, I mean.'

'Maybe he's hurt, or dying of dehydration after getting lost in the desert,' said Safin. 'We must investigate, and help him if we can.'

'That's right,' Fadil agreed. 'As Medjai warriors, it's part of our job really.'

Fadil and Safin ran to the motionless body, which was lying face-up on the sand. Safin immediately let out a cry of extreme distress, and turned his face away.

'Oh my God, it's Iqbal!' Fadil exclaimed. 'It _is_ Iqbal, isn't it, Saf?'

'It's Iqbal all right,' said Safin. 'Is he okay? Please tell me he's okay, Fadil.'

Fadil dropped to his knees and examined the unmoving form. After a few seconds, a grave expression crossed Fadil's face and he reached out to close Iqbal's unseeing eyes.

'I'm sorry, Saf,' Fadil said quietly. 'He's dead.'

Safin let out a wail of anguish and sank to his knees on the sand. Fadil placed a comforting hand on his brother's shoulder.

'What happened to him?' Safin asked croakily.

'I'm not sure,' said Fadil. 'He's still warm, so he can't have been dead for long. Can you see how extremely pale he is, Saf?'

'Yes,' said Safin, staring at his dead friend in abject horror. 'And what are those strange wounds on his neck?'

'They look like puncture marks of some kind,' said Fadil. 'We need to get him back to the Academy at once – the physician must examine him, then the body must be prepared and stored according to Medjai tradition.'

'Who's going to tell his mother?' Safin said quietly.

'Ardeth will send her a telegram,' said Fadil.

'But who's going to give her all the horrible details, once she turns up at the Academy to see the awful truth for herself?'

'I will.'

'I'd like to be there when you do,' said Safin. 'And maybe James would too.'

'Of course,' said Fadil. 'But right now, Saf, we just need to concentrate on taking him home. Are you up for it?'

'You mean you want me to help you carry him?'

'Yes. Do you think you can do that for me?'

'For you, and for Iqbal...' said Safin. 'Yes, I can.'

'Good man,' said Fadil. 'Would you prefer to take his feet or his shoulders?'

'His shoulders,' said Safin. 'It's the very least I can do for him.'

Fadil and Safin carefully lifted Iqbal's body and then turned their steps back towards the Medjai Academy.


	2. Chapter 2

The Medjai physician examined Iqbal's body while Fadil, Safin, Alex and Ardeth stood by and watched in grave silence.

'This is most extraordinary,' the physician announced at length. 'The body has been completely drained of blood.'

'I knew it!' said Ardeth. 'I thought I recognised those puncture marks on his neck, and now there seems little doubt.'

'Little doubt about what, Ardeth?' Alex asked, somewhat impatiently.

'That's the mark of a vampire, Alex,' said Ardeth. 'I've seen such a phenomenon before, many years ago.'

'If there's a vampire in the area, we'd better dispose of it as quickly as we can,' said Alex. 'We'll step up security here at the Academy, and searches will be mounted first thing in the morning.'

'Vampires sleep during the day,' said Ardeth. 'Sunlight is deadly to them, as I'm sure you know.'

'Exactly!' said Alex. 'We'll catch him napping – it'll be perfect.'

'I'd better write a telegram to Iqbal's mother, and take it to the office in Cairo first thing tomorrow,' said Ardeth. 'I'll invite her to come here just as soon as she feels able.'

'I'd like to talk to her when she comes, Ardeth,' said Fadil. 'Safin will be there too.'

'And maybe James,' said Safin. 'Oh my God, James! He's waiting up for me right now... and I'll have to tell him what's happened!'

'Do you want someone else to tell him, Saf?' Alex asked.

'No – I'll do it myself,' said Safin. 'Thank you, Alex, but... well, it really has to be me, and that's all there is to it.'

* * *

Safin pushed open the door of James's room. James looked over from the bed, grinned, threw back the covers and patted the mattress.

'Hi, sexy,' James purred. 'I'm glad you're home early – I've been going absolutely crazy waiting for you! Hey, are you okay, Saf? You look troubled.'

'Jimmy, it's... it's Iqbal,' said Safin, as tears started running down his face.

'He hasn't been giving you a hard time, has he?' said James, frowning slightly.

'No,' said Safin. 'He's dead, Jim.'

'What?'

'Me and Fadil found him when we were out on patrol. He's been killed by a vampire, Ardeth says.'

James looked absolutely mortified for a few seconds, then he completely broke down. Safin ran to him and they cried all over each other for quite some time.

'I... I'll go now,' Safin said at length. 'I'm sure you don't want me -'

'Saf, of course I want you!' James cut in. 'I want you now more than ever... I _need_ you now more than ever!'

They cuddled up in bed together, spooning so closely that they formed a single mass under the covers. After a few seconds, James moved his hips and Safin adjusted his position slightly.

'Jimmy, are you absolutely sure you still want to?' Safin whispered over his shoulder.

'Yes,' James breathed. 'Do you?'

'Very much so,' Safin replied. 'But -'

'No buts, Saf,' said James. 'Just shut up and kiss me.'

Safin smiled, leant back over his shoulder and did just that.

* * *

Early the following afternoon, Alex left the meeting room looking very harangued, and ran into his mother in the corridor outside.

'Still no sign of the vampire?' Evy asked.

'No,' said Alex, 'but we'll sniff it out soon enough, don't you worry.'

'Alex, I simply have to make a request to you about Mike,' said Evy.

'What request?' Alex asked guardedly.

'Take him off the sentry duty roster until this vampire situation has been sorted out,' said Evy. 'I don't want him up in that watchtower on his own tonight.'

'Mom, everyone at purple sash level and above takes their turn at sentry duty,' said Alex. 'Mike wouldn't thank me for whisking that away from him just because we're on high alert, and he certainly wouldn't thank his mother for asking me to do it! Like I told you before, I absolutely refuse to mess with the boy's head like that!'

'I see,' said Evy, somewhat coldly. 'Well, you could at least assign someone to go up the watchtower with him, so he doesn't have to do his duty alone.'

'That would still show a lack of faith in him,' Alex pointed out.

'Not if you introduced a new policy to say that everyone has to do it in pairs until the vampire's been disposed of.'

'I don't think that's necessary, Mom. I discussed the details of our vampire alert status with Yanit and Fadil earlier, and they both agreed with me that the watchtower is a perfectly safe location for one person to spot a vampire from, and raise the alarm.'

'But Mikey's not ready for that level of responsibility, Alex! He's only twelve, for God's sake!'

'He's almost thirteen!' Alex countered. 'Just think of everything I'd had to go through by the time I turned thirteen, Mom! Do you think I wouldn't have been capable of dealing with a vampire when I was Mikey's age?'

'Of course you would've been, sweetheart, but Mikey's not you!'

'I know that,' said Alex, his tone much softer now. 'You think I don't worry about him too, Mom? You think I'm not aware of his shortcomings? You're wrong – I do, and I am. But I absolutely will not force unwanted help on him – I won't have him thinking that I don't have faith in him!'

'But darling,' said Evy, 'sometimes it's hard to ask for help even when we desperately want it, and I think you know that.'

'Look, Mom,' said Alex, 'I think you should trust Mike more. I know he's not perfect and he still has a lot to learn, but I have absolute faith in my brother and I trust him completely. He's certainly more than capable of standing in the watchtower for a few hours and letting us know if he sees a vampire skulking around the Academy.'

'I'm still not happy about this, Alex. I may have to speak to Mike myself, if you won't do it.'

'What are you going to say? That you think he's too young to be up the watchtower by himself, or that he's not responsible enough? He really won't thank you, Mom, whatever you say.'

'I know,' said Evy, letting out a heavy sigh. 'Maybe I'll offer to go with him myself, to keep him company. That wouldn't interfere with your duty roster, would it?'

'Not at all,' said Alex. 'If Mike wants to have you up there with him, I'll have nothing to say about it. But I honestly don't think he will, Mom.'

* * *

Several hours later, Michael was alone in the watchtower, sitting with his chin on his knees and brooding silently. Suddenly he became aware of a flash of movement below the tower. He immediately jumped to his feet and peered down into the near-darkness.

'Who's there?' he called. 'Show yourself and state your business!'

The figure outside the main entrance to the Academy looked up at the watchtower with an expression of curiosity on its face.

'Well, hello there, mate!' the stranger called to Michael. 'Sorry – I didn't see you up there or I would've announced myself. I'm looking for the Medjai Academy. Is this it?'

'It might be,' Michael replied. 'Who are you and what do you want?'

'The entrance is here, isn't it?' said the stranger, running his hand along the seemingly solid wall of rock. 'I can feel it, even though I can't see it.'

'That's not supposed to happen,' said Michael. 'And you still haven't told me who you are!'

'I'm just a poor, injured traveller, seeking refuge,' the mysterious man replied. 'I heard the Medjai Academy was around here somewhere, and I thought maybe they might offer me a bed for the night and a bite to eat.'

'We don't normally do that sort of thing,' said Michael. 'We're supposed to be a _secret_ society.'

'Ah, then this _is_ the Medjai Academy! And you're a Medjai warrior, right?'

'Yeah, I am. And I'm a damn good one too, so you'd better not try anything!'

'Now, now, mate, there's no need for that kind of talk. As I understand it, the Order of the Medjai is supposed to help people, isn't it? Inviting a weary, injured traveller into your base should be part of your job really, from what I've been told. So, won't you please open the door and invite me in?'

'You're the vampire, aren't you?' Michael shot back at him. 'You're the one who killed Iqbal.'

The stranger did not reply at once, but fixed Michael with a smile of amusement.

'What's your name, kid?' he asked at length.

'Don't you know it's impolite to ask for someone's name without giving yours first?'

'Of course – how rude of me. They call me Spike.'

'Well they call _me_ Mike.'

'What an interesting coincidence,' said Spike, chuckling softly. 'Let me into your base, Mike. I'm only a harmless traveller, like I said before.'

'I don't believe you!' said Michael. 'I trust my Medjai instincts, and they're telling me that you're lying! You're the vampire – I know you are! And you've come here to kill more of us!'

'Just say I _was_ this vampire you keep talking about,' said Spike, 'wouldn't you have to raise the alarm and get a bunch of your fellow Medjai warriors out here to kill me?'

'Yes,' said Michael, 'that's what I should be doing right now... but first I think I'll open the main entrance, like you suggested before.'

'You will?'

'Yeah, I will! But just to be absolutely clear, this does _not_ constitute an invitation for you to enter the Academy! It's an experiment, and that's all.'

With that, Michael reached out and pressed the control to dissolve the magical doorway. Spike peered into the entrance tunnel beyond, but made no move to enter it.

'If you _were_ an injured traveller then you could go inside now, and find the help you claim to need so desperately!' Michael said triumphantly. 'So, g... - no, hang on; I need to watch what I say here. If you're not a vampire, Spike... and I'll say that again, to make it absolutely clear... _if _you're not a vampire, now's the time to prove it!'

Spike made no move to enter the Medjai Academy, but continued to look up at Michael with an expression of sly amusement. Michael made a vocalisation of triumph, closed the entrance, grabbed his Medjai staff and then jumped down from the sentry box to the desert sand below. Spike stared at him in surprise.

'You're a confusing fellow, Mike,' Spike remarked. 'You think I'm this vampire you're after, yet instead of blowing the whistle on me, you come down here and put yourself at my mercy.'

Michael scowled, hefted his staff and said, 'That's what _you_ think, pal!'

Spike laughed, his smile even wider now. He looked at Michael with surprise and interest evident in his eyes, but he seemed to have nothing else to say for the moment.

'You _are_ the one who killed Iqbal, aren't you?' said Michael.

'Guilty as charged!' Spike replied, grinning all over his face. 'When I heard about the legendary Order of the Medjai and its scores of great warriors dedicated to ridding the world of the undead, I just _had_ to come to Egypt and get a taste of Medjai blood for myself. And I have to admit, it tasted pretty good!'

Michael scowled at Spike and made a swipe with his staff; Spike feinted out of the way.

'So, Iqbal was his name, eh?' Spike continued. 'He was very easy prey, you know. Wandering through the desert all by himself, crying and wailing like his heart was shattered to pieces. I found it hard to believe he could be a Medjai warrior... but I killed him anyway.'

'He certainly _was_ a Medjai warrior, and a damn good one!' Michael yelled. 'And now I'm going to make you pay for what you did to him!'

'I'll let you in on a little secret, Mike,' said Spike. 'I didn't come here tonight to kill any old Medjai warrior, like I did last night. No; I've been there, done that and got the bloodstained T-shirt. What I really want now is to drain the blood of the so-called _Supreme_ Medjai. If you tell me where I can find him, I'll let you live... because to be honest, I think the world would probably be a lot less interesting without you in it.'

'So you want the blood of the Supreme Medjai, huh?' said Michael. 'Well, I'm his brother, so why don't you see how you like the taste of _mine_?'

'You're the Supreme Medjai's brother?' said Spike, looking keenly into Michael's eyes.

'Yes, I am!' Michael replied, staring back defiantly.

'Well, bugger me if you're not telling the truth!' said Spike, grinning from ear to ear. 'Okay then, Mike – I'll take you up on your very kind offer!'

As Spike spoke these words, his face transformed into a demonic mask with several protruding fangs. Michael gasped in horror and raised his staff. Spike leapt forward.

* * *

Alex pulled his face away from the back of Yanit's neck and peered towards the closed bedroom door.

'What's wrong, sweetie?' said Yanit, leaning over her shoulder to look at him. 'Why did you stop?'

'I'm suddenly feeling worried about Mikey,' said Alex. 'What if my mom was right? What if he really shouldn't be out there by himself with a vampire on the loose?'

'You trust him to raise the alarm if he sees anything, don't you?'

'Yes, of course. But what if... well, what if something unexpected happens? After all, it wouldn't be the first time. A decent Medjai warrior should always expect the unexpected, Yanit. Maybe I should go check on him.'

'Alex, I truly believe that your faith in your brother is a wonderful thing,' said Yanit. 'Don't let it waver now... and don't leave me here with the fire all nicely laid and no match to light it!'

'Okay,' Alex laughed. 'I'll try not to worry.'

He returned his attention to Yanit's back half. She let out a sudden gasp, and smiled contentedly.

* * *

Spike made a vicious lunge, but Michael vaulted over his head and landed deftly on the other side. Spike whirled around to face his opponent, who was already coming at him with the staff.

'Whoa, okay, let's take a time-out here,' said Spike, holding up his hands in a gesture of non-aggression. 'This isn't getting us anywhere.'

Michael's staff cracked down on Spike's head. Spike yelled indignantly.

'Hey, I said I wanted a time-out!' Spike objected. 'Isn't it against the Medjai Code to hit me under those circumstances?'

'The Medjai Code doesn't apply to you!' Michael snarled. 'You're a vampire; you killed Iqbal!'

'It sounds like you were pretty fond of this Iqbal character,' Spike remarked.

'Not particularly,' said Michael. 'But when you strike against one Medjai, you strike against us all.'

'Well in that case,' said Spike, 'why didn't you call for backup instead of coming down here to face me by yourself?'

'I don't need backup to deal with one vampire!' said Michael.

'Maybe you don't,' Spike chuckled. 'You're very good, Mike – much better than I expected. Are you sure it's your brother who's the Supreme Medjai? It's not actually _you_, is it?'

'No, it's my brother,' said Michael. 'But sometimes I think maybe I'm destined to become the next Supreme Medjai someday, if my brother wants to retire or something.'

'Or if he's ever killed or fatally injured,' said Spike, licking his lips.

'I don't think that's likely to happen,' said Michael. 'But anyway, he's never spoken to me about it specifically... although he does take a special interest in my training, and he shows a lot more faith in me than anyone else does.'

'And that's why you came down here to take me on, isn't it?' said Spike. 'You're trying to prove something... not to your brother, of course, but to someone else close to you, I think.'

Michael nodded and said, 'My mother has no faith in me.'

'Your mother...' said Spike, sounding suddenly wistful.

'She offered to come up and stand with me in the watchtower tonight,' said Michael. 'She doesn't even think I can handle a few hours of sentry duty without my mum there to hold my hand!'

'She's overprotective because she loves you,' said Spike. 'You should be grateful for that, Mike. Don't you know how important a mother's love is?'

'Of course I do! I just wish she wouldn't treat me like a child, that's all. I'm almost thirteen years old and I'm a Medjai warrior of purple sash level and I don't need my mum fussing over me anymore! And what do you know about love anyway? You're a vampire!'

'Just because I'm a vampire, doesn't mean I'm a monster.'

'I don't think Iqbal would agree with you there!' Mike snarled. 'And nor would _his_ mother, come to think of it!'

Spike looked slightly disconcerted for a moment, then he pulled himself together and fixed Michael with a searching look.

'Okay, Mike, I have a deal I want to propose to you,' said Spike. 'How about we – you and me, I mean – meet up for a few secret training sessions? We'll soon whip you into shape, ready to take your place as the next Supreme Medjai at some nondescript point in the future, and then your mum will be proud of you.'

'And why would I want to train with _you_?' said Michael.

'If you agree,' said Spike, 'I'll leave the rest of the Medjai alone, including your brother – you have my word.'

'The word of a vampire may not be worth very much,' said Michael. 'And what would you get out of the arrangement, huh?'

'I think the two of us could learn a lot from each other,' said Spike. 'The experience might well be more valuable to me than a further taste of Medjai blood. So, what do you say?'

Michael opened his mouth to reply, but then he closed it again. Spike fixed him with a disarming smile.

'You really think I'm good?' Michael asked at length.

'Yes,' said Spike, 'I do.'

'You'd really leave everyone else alone if I did this with you?' said Michael. 'No more hanging around the Academy, and no more hunting people in the desert?'

'No more of any of it,' said Spike. 'If I have you, Mike, I don't need them.'

'And you'd teach me all those fancy moves of yours?'

'Of course. If you teach me yours too.'

'Okay, I'll do it,' said Michael. 'I know you're probably planning to double-cross me in some way, but I'm not afraid of you – I know I can take you down if necessary!'

'Oh yes,' said Spike, 'I'm sure you can.'

'And if you go back on your word in any way, I'll tell my brother all about you and then you'll be dead meat!' Michael continued.

'You've got me covered from all angles, kid,' said Spike. 'I don't think I'd be capable of double-crossing you even if I wanted to. Now, about these training sessions...'

'I'm not inviting you inside the Medjai Academy to do them, no matter how many promises you make!' said Michael. 'There's an old rope bridge about two miles from here – you can see it from the other side of that rock formation over there. There's a hidden cave to the west of the bridge that I don't think my brother or anyone else knows about. We'll meet there, okay?'

Spike smiled and said, 'Okay. When?'

'Midday tomorrow,' said Michael.

'I'll be there,' said Spike. 'Just make sure you are too, or more Medjai will have to die.'

'Don't worry; I'll come,' said Michael. 'A true Medjai always honours his word!'

'I'm very glad to hear it,' said Spike.

* * *

_Three weeks later..._

Michael was lying on his bed in a state of inertia when Evy peered around the slightly open door of his room.

'Can I come in, Mikey?' Evy asked.

'You can do what you want,' Michael's voice answered her from the darkness.

Evy came into the room and perched on the edge of the bed. Michael gave no further sign that he was aware of her presence.

'I'll just light your candle for you, shall I?' said Evy, reaching out towards the nightstand.

'No!' Michael snarled, batting her hand away roughly. 'Just leave it, Mum! If I wanted my candle lit, I'd have done it myself!'

'Oh yes, of course you would,' Evy said apologetically. 'I'm sorry, darling. You know I'm planning to go back to London in a couple of days, don't you?'

Michael shrugged.

'Well, I simply can't go if you're still lying around like a depressed heap!' said Evy. 'I'm really worried about you, Mikey.'

'Don't call me Mikey – it's a name for a baby!' Michael snapped. 'And for God's sake, would you please stop fussing over me like a mother hen?'

'I'm fussing because I think there's something seriously wrong with you,' said Evy, sounding rather more firm now. 'Sweetheart, maybe you need to take a break from your Medjai training. Why don't you come back to London for a while?'

'I'm not going anywhere, and you can't make me!'

'Michael, you may be a Medjai warrior of purple sash level but I am still your mother! Everyone needs to take a step back once in a while, including you. This is exactly like when Alex started to behave so badly after he let his Medjai training get on top of him, and -'

'I'm not Alex, Mum!' Michael yelled. 'I think we're all painfully aware of that, aren't we? _You're_ the one who needs to take a step back, from me! I'm not your little boy anymore and I want you to leave me alone, for good!'

Evy got to her feet and dashed from the room with tears in her eyes. Michael folded his arms behind his head, then he saw that Emma had appeared in the doorway.

'What do you want, Emmy?' he asked sulkily.

'Mikey, what the hell is wrong with you?' Emma said sternly. 'I can't believe you just spoke to your mother like that!'

'I... I just want her to stop fussing over me,' said Michael, 'that's all.'

'But she's right, isn't she?' said Emma. 'There's something seriously wrong with you, Mikey. You've become distant and surly over the past few weeks. If you won't talk to your mom about it, you might at least talk to _me_!'

Emma came over to the bed and perched herself on the spot that Evy had recently vacated. Michael immediately sat up and wrapped his arms around her. She smiled and patted him on the back.

'Now you just go ahead and tell me what's wrong,' said Emma.

'I... I can't!' Michael choked out, as he sobbed onto Emma's shoulder.

'Of course you can, Mikey,' said Emma. 'We can tell each other anything.'

'But... but you'll hate me if I tell you!' Michael wept.

'I could never hate you,' Emma said firmly.

'But you... but I... no!' Michael suddenly yelled, pushing Emma away from him in a flash of violence. 'Get out of my room, Emmy! I don't want to talk to you!'

'I don't believe you, Mikey,' said Emma. 'I'm not moving from this spot until -'

'You're nothing but a silly little girl!' Michael suddenly bawled at her. 'I don't need you anymore! Just leave me alone! I never want to talk to you again!'

Emma looked mortified for a few moments, then she burst into tears and ran from the room. Michael's expression became the very picture of horrified guilt, then he buried his face in his pillow and cried bitterly.

A few minutes later, Michael stopped crying, dragged himself to his feet and took off his Medjai issue pyjamas. He then pulled on a set of Medjai robes, took up his Medjai staff and left the room.

* * *

Emma was curled up between her parents, crying unrestrainedly onto Yanit's front.

'How could he say those things to me, Mom?' Emma wailed, sounding utterly heartbroken. 'I don't believe he really meant them – he _can't_ have really meant them!'

'Oh, darling, of course he didn't really mean them,' said Yanit, rubbing Emma's back consolingly. 'But you know, as we get older, sometimes our friendships and relationships change a bit – it's just part of growing up, that's all.'

'Nothing's ever going to change between me and Mikey!' Emma said firmly.

'Well... it might, sweetheart,' said Yanit. 'You'll still be very important to each other of course, but... well, Mikey's really starting to grow up now, and -'

'I know Mikey's growing up – I have eyes, don't I?' said Emma, pulling away from Yanit slightly. '_I'm_ growing up too, in case you hadn't noticed!'

'Of course we've noticed, Emmy,' said Alex, 'but -'

'You've never really liked Mikey, have you, Mom?' Emma shot at Yanit. 'You _want_ me and him to grow apart, don't you?'

'Oh, darling, of course I don't want that, and I _do_ like Mikey!' said Yanit, an edge of desperation to her voice. 'I'm just trying to say that... that...'

She looked helplessly at Alex.

'Sweetheart,' said Alex, placing a hand on Emma's shoulder, 'your mom's right. Mikey will always love you, and you'll always love him, but you might not always be so close as you are right now. When I was your age, I used to be pretty close friends with a guy called Simon Montgomery, but I never see him nowadays. We still exchange letters and Christmas cards, but we're just not a big part of each other's lives anymore, and that's okay.'

'And the two of you were really close friends, huh?' said Emma.

'That's right,' said Alex. 'I even invited Simon to come over to Egypt and try out some Medjai training at one point, but he decided he didn't want to stick around.'

'Simon had the biggest crush on you, Alex,' said Yanit. 'He only didn't want to join the Medjai because he couldn't handle the idea of sharing you with a whole bunch of other people, especially me!'

'Come on, Yanit,' said Alex, looking rather awkward now, 'it wasn't like that.'

'How _are_ things between Simon and Jasper nowadays?' Yanit grinned.

'They were fine, the last I heard,' Alex replied, somewhat primly. 'No problems at all.'

Emma scowled at each of her parents in turn and said, 'Can we please get back to _my_ problem now?'

'Oh, Emmy, I wish there was something we could say to make everything better for you,' said Yanit, 'but the truth is that... well, seeing as you _are_ growing up now, you'll just have to come to terms with the fact that -'

Yanit stopped mid-sentence as Emma jumped to her feet and dragged her sleeve across her streaming eyes.

'You're wrong – you're _both_ wrong!' she told her parents defiantly. 'Me and Mikey will never end up like Dad and this Simon character! I'm going to find out what's wrong and I'm going to be there for him, and you can't stop me!'

With that, Emma stormed from the room. Alex and Yanit exchanged an uncertain look.

'Did we handle that badly?' said Alex.

'We told her the truth,' said Yanit. 'I wouldn't have felt comfortable doing anything else.'

'The truth as we see it...' Alex mused. 'And I still haven't plucked up the courage to talk to her about her Supreme Medjai powers. Oh my God, I'm a terrible father!'

Yanit wrapped her arms around him and said, 'You're a _wonderful_ everything, Alex.'

* * *

Michael swiped at Spike with his staff, but only succeeded in tripping himself up. He sat on the floor of the cave and cursed for a few moments, before Spike helped him back to his feet.

'You're distracted, Mike,' Spike remarked.

'Who says?' Michael returned sulkily.

'_I_ says,' said Spike. 'First you turn up here in the middle of the night demanding an unscheduled training session, then you stumble around like a loser with a white sash!'

'I'm not a loser!' Michael snarled.

'Maybe not, but you could've been,' said Spike. 'I could easily have killed you in the aftermath of that so-called attack of yours, if we were in a battle situation and I'd felt like doing it. We both know you've got a lot of talent, mate, but I can't help you if you're going to be a wanker!'

'I'm not a loser and I'm not a wanker!' Michael yelled, striking out with his staff again.

Spike easily dodged the clumsy attack and said, 'I know what's bothering you, you know – I can see it in your eyes.'

'What can you see?'

'It's a girl, isn't it? That's why you're all mopey and distracted – you're thinking about a girl.'

Michael was nonplussed for a moment, then he scowled and said, 'So what if I am?'

'It's always the same,' Spike sighed. 'We think we're in love and we're going to be with our special little lady forever – literally, in some cases – and then she rips out our heart and stamps on it, and we realise just how little control we have over our own feelings!'

'Did a girl literally rip out your heart and stamp on it?' Michael asked with a wry smile.

'No!' said Spike. 'And who said anything about me, anyway? It's _you_ we're talking about here, kid. You're in love with this girl, whoever she is, and that's what's making you weak and vulnerable! She's the one who's turned you into a wanker... in more ways than one, I bet!'

'No!' said Michael. 'You've got it all wrong!'

'I don't think I have, Mike. You love this girl, don't you?'

'Of course I love her, but not in the way you're talking about!'

'Bollocks to that!' said Spike. 'Love is love, Mike – it messes with your head, however you want to dress it up. This girl has upset you a whole lot – maybe even broken your heart. That much is obvious, even to a vampire!'

'It's more that _I've_ upset _her_,' said Michael, blinking back tears. 'I think... I think I really _might_ have broken her heart... and it breaks _my _heart to think it!'

'Exactly!' Spike declared triumphantly. 'Whatever the finer details, she's inside your head and she's there to stay! You want to stop thinking about her but you know you'll never be able to, so now there's only one option open to you.'

'There is?' Michael said uncertainly. 'What's that?'

'You have to sever all ties with her!' said Spike. 'Just set aside your feelings and try to get on with the rest of your life.'

'I could never do that!' said Michael. 'We've always been together and we always will be.'

'You need to abandon any silly romantic ideas like that!' Spike scoffed. 'They'll only drag you down and make you weak.'

'You're wrong!' said Michael. 'You know, Spike, I think I've learned just about everything I can from you. I've fulfilled my end of our bargain, and you've fulfilled yours, so now we can go our separate ways and never see each other again!'

'Oh Mike, now you're breaking _my_ heart,' said Spike, grinning rather nastily. 'We've been getting along so well, and I've just started enjoying myself...'

'You... you need to leave Egypt,' said Michael, no longer sounding so sure of himself. 'You've had a taste of Medjai blood and you've trained with the Supreme Medjai's brother for three weeks, so now you can move on to pastures new!'

'I've had a taste of Medjai blood, yes,' said Spike. 'But I hadn't really planned on leaving before I'd had the chance to sample at least a little more...'

'What if... what if I agree to one more training session tomorrow,' said Michael, 'and then you agree to be on your way straight afterwards, okay?'

'I suppose it might be time for me to move on,' said Spike, 'but I intend to make sure I've got absolutely everything I can out of you before I go.'

'I... I'll come back in the morning, then,' said Michael, taking a step backwards.

'Why bother traipsing back to the Medjai Academy tonight?' said Spike. 'If you stay, we can finish this right now.'

'Well... well, okay,' said Michael. 'Let's have our final session now, then. What do you want to teach me?'

'See, the thing about that is, I think you were right about having learned all you can from me,' said Spike. 'So I think, for our final lesson, I'll conduct a little experiment.'

'An experiment?' Michael said uncertainly.

'Yes,' said Spike. 'It concerns Medjai blood, and how quickly it replenishes itself...'

Spike leapt forward. Michael heard his staff clattering to the ground, then he felt his smock being ripped in half at the chest. Four sharp fangs punctured his skin at a point just below his neck. He screamed.


	3. Chapter 3

Emma emerged from the washroom the next morning to find Evy running around in a state of panic, with Alex trying desperately to calm her down.

'He's run away, I know he has!' Evy was shouting hysterically. 'I never should've tried to force him to come back to London with me – it's all my fault that my son is missing!'

'No, Mom, it's all _my_ fault!' Alex said to her, almost equally hysterically. 'I should never have given him that purple sash before he was ready! We'll send search parties out right away. We'll find him; I promise we'll find him!'

'But where could he be?' Evy screeched. 'Where would he _go_?'

'We'll find him!' Alex said again.

'Like you found that vampire who killed Iqbal?' said Evy, sobbing now.

Emma kept her eyes trained on her father and grandmother until they had turned the corner of the passageway and passed out of sight. Adopting a determined expression, she went to her room and put on her Medjai robes. She then stole along to her parents' room, which was quite deserted. She opened the closet and took out a Medjai staff, then she left the room and made her way towards the main entrance.

* * *

Emma ran across the rope bridge, causing it to swing alarmingly, and hurled herself into the cave. She immediately discerned an unmoving figure slumped against a nearby wall.

'Mikey?' Emma said uncertainly. 'Mikey, is that you?'

Emma took a few steps towards the figure, then she came to a sudden halt and let out a horrified scream. Michael's skin was deathly white. His glassy eyes stared up at Emma, obviously struggling to focus on her; he was clearly all but unconscious. The top half of his body was barely covered by the ripped remains of his Medjai smock, and he was bleeding from an array of angry red wounds to his neck, chest and shoulders.

'Emmy...' Michael managed to croak. 'Emmy, you... you have to go! He's here!'

Emma threw herself to her knees at Michael's side and burst into tears.

'Mikey, what's happened to you?' Emma sobbed. 'I... I'll get you out of here, okay? The Medjai physician will patch you up in no time.'

'Emmy, I... I'm sorry I called you a silly little girl,' Michael whispered, wincing with pain as he spoke. 'You're _not_ a silly little girl... you're the best girl in the world... and now I've told you that... I don't so much mind dying.'

'No, Mikey!' Emma wailed, as her tears fell onto his unnaturally pale face. 'You can't leave me! We've always been together and we always will be!'

She bent and kissed him on the forehead, then she took his right hand and grasped it firmly.

'I'm not going to let you go, Mikey!' Emma told him firmly. 'I'm going to save you, okay? I don't know how, but... ow!'

Emma collapsed into a sitting position and shook her head in an attempt to dispel the wave of nausea that had come over her, but she made sure to keep a firm grip on Michael's hand. Michael found his vision clearing and his breathing suddenly becoming easier. He looked at Emma with a puzzled expression on his face.

'Emmy,' he said, 'what's going on?'

'I think... I'm saving your life,' Emma told him, smiling through her obvious discomfort. 'I knew... I'd find a way to do it... ouch!'

Several wounds had opened in Emma's neck. Michael looked down at his chest and saw only bare, unsullied skin. He gasped in alarm and tried to pull his hand away, but Emma maintained her iron grip.

'You've seen... my dad... doing this,' said Emma. 'It seems... I can do it too. And I'm sure... just like him... I'll be able to heal myself... in time.'

'Emmy, you mustn't take any more!' Michael shrilled. 'That's more than enough – you'll kill yourself!'

Emma did not reply, but tightened her grip on his hand. Michael struggled and squirmed, and at last he was able to pull himself free. He jumped to his feet, and Emma collapsed in a heap.

'We have to get out of here, Emmy!' Michael declared. 'I'll carry you if you can't walk! We just have to -'

'That was extremely interesting, Mike,' said Spike, as he emerged from the shadows. 'I formed a few theories about how my experiment would turn out, but none of them involved a mysterious girl turning up here and saving your life with her magic powers.'

'Yeah, well,' said Michael, scowling at him, 'life's full of surprises, isn't it?'

'I wish I could let you and your little friend go free now,' said Spike, 'because you've definitely earned it... but unfortunately, I just can't do that. Believe it or not, I really do like you, Mike, and I've enjoyed talking and training with you more than I can say... but I'm going to have to finish you off now because, at the end of the day... well, like you said yourself, I'm a vampire! And no self-respecting vampire could pass up the chance to drain the lifeblood from the brother of the Supreme Medjai!'

'You had your chance to do that!' Michael snarled. 'And now it's _my_ turn!'

Michael grabbed Emma's abandoned staff and threw himself at Spike, who quickly dodged out of the way.

'Haven't you learned yet, mate?' Spike sneered. 'You can't get the better of me, especially not by prancing around like a magnificent poof! I know all your moves, Mike, and I'll always be a step ahead of you!'

Michael scowled, dropped into a crouch and kicked Spike's legs out from under him. Spike yelled in surprise and alarm as he went crashing to the floor. Michael rained blows on him with the staff for a few moments, then he ran back to Emma.

'Emmy, you have to try to get up!' Michael squeaked at her. 'We need -'

'You need to accept the inevitable, Mike,' said Spike, now back on his feet. 'You can't get out of this... or not if you insist on taking your little girlfriend with you, anyway.'

Michael ran at Spike again. Spike stepped out of the way, but Michael kept running until he came to the cave wall, then he allowed his momentum to carry him a little way up it before performing a back flip and launching himself at Spike again. Spike screeched as the Medjai staff cracked into the side of his head, and he crumpled to the ground. Michael landed on his feet and ran over to Emma; he immediately started gathering her into his arms.

'Mikey?' Emma mumbled, blinking at up at him woozily. 'Where are we? What's going on?'

'Don't worry about it, Emmy,' said Michael, brushing a stray strand of hair away from her face. 'Just leave everything to me.'

Michael turned and ran towards the cave entrance, but Spike's fist slammed into his face before he was halfway there. Michael and Emma both went crashing to the floor, then Michael found himself rising into the air with Spike's hand clamped around his neck.

'Good boy, Mike!' Spike declared in delight. 'You saved up a couple of surprises for me! And you could've escaped – you could've escaped _twice_! You could've run out into the sunlight and I wouldn't have been able to do a thing to stop you. But you wouldn't leave your precious Emmy, would you?'

'I... I'd rather die,' Michael choked out, 'than leave her to your mercy, Spike!'

'Well, if you insist!' Spike laughed. 'The world definitely _will_ be a lot less interesting without you in it, Mike. But that's a sacrifice we'll all just have to learn to live with!'

'Please do me a favour,' said Michael, 'and leave Emma alone after you've killed me. Our deal was that you could have me and leave the rest of the Medjai alone, so take me now and honour your word!'

Spike laughed and said, 'Okay, I'll do exactly that. Say, here's a new proposal for you, Mike. I'll turn you if you want. Into a vampire, I mean. We can travel the world together, just you and me, leaving death and devastation in our wake. It'll almost be like you're my... well, my little brother!'

'No thanks,' said Michael, looking Spike squarely in the eye, 'I'm already someone's little brother.'

'That's classy, Mike,' said Spike, nodding in approval. 'Really, really classy; I can't deny it. I'll definitely have to spare Emma now, so she can tell the other Medjai warriors what a classy guy you truly are... or _were_, in the end!'

Spike shook out his demon features and opened his mouth. Michael winced and closed his eyes.

'STOP!'

Emma's screech echoed around the cave. She had dragged herself into a sitting position, and was now gazing at the scene before her with a horrified expression on her face.

'Don't kill him!' Emma screamed at Spike, tears cascading down her cheeks. '_Please_ don't kill him!'

Spike smiled nastily through his demon features and said, 'My dear, emotional young lady, why shouldn't I?'

'You... you like deals, right?' said Emma. 'Well, _I've_ got a deal for you – one you simply won't be able to turn down!'

'Emmy, no!' Michael yelled, then he let out an agonised scream as Spike squeezed his throat to shut him up.

'I'm listening,' Spike told Emma.

'You want to drain the blood of the Supreme Medjai's brother,' said Emma, 'but there's something even better than the blood of the Supreme Medjai's brother!'

'There is?' said Spike. 'What's that?'

'The blood of the Supreme Medjai's daughter!' Emma declared. '_I'm_ the Supreme Medjai's daughter! You can take my life in exchange for Michael's. I promise I won't resist you in any way, and I won't scream.'

'Where's the fun in that?' said Spike, chuckling.

'Fine, I'll scream if you want me to!' Emma said desperately. 'You'll get your Supreme Medjai blood! Just let Mikey go!'

'No, Emmy,' Michael choked out. 'Let him take me, I'm not worth it!'

Emma looked down into her lap and said, 'You are to me.'

'Now, just let me get this straight,' said Spike. 'You're the Supreme Medjai's daughter, right?'

'Yes, I am!' Emma said firmly.

'Of course...' said Spike. 'That's why you have magic powers... how you managed to absorb Mike's injuries. So... so he's your uncle?'

Emma nodded.

'And she's your niece?' Spike said to his captive.

'Yes, she is,' Michael replied.

'What's the age difference between you two?' Spike asked, a smile of amusement on his lips.

'A little under two years,' said Michael.

'And you're the Supreme Medjai's whole brother?' Spike persisted. 'You're not a half?'

'No,' said Michael, 'we have both the same parents.'

'Man, there's something weird about that!' Spike declared. 'Someone's definitely been doing something they shouldn't have... or doing some_one _they shouldn't have!'

'That's not true!' Emma piped up defiantly. 'Okay, my parents were pretty young when they had me – my mom was eighteen and my dad was sixteen when I was born – but they were in a loving, committed relationship, and they still are!'

'A loving, committed relationship?' Spike scoffed. 'Don't make me laugh!'

'It's true!' Emma asserted. 'My parents are deeply in love and they always will be!'

'That's what Dru used to say about us,' Spike sighed wistfully, 'but then...'

'Who's Dru?' said Michael, then he yelled as Spike tightened his grip and almost throttled him again.

'That's none of your business!' Spike growled. 'Hey, hang on a minute here, Mike. Emma's the girl whose heart you broke, isn't she? The one who's so firmly implanted inside your head!'

'Yes,' said Michael, 'she is.'

'And she's your niece!' Spike laughed in delight. 'I never imagined it would be your niece! I'm right, aren't I, Mike? You think about your own niece while you're tossing yourself off! That settles it – your family is definitely weird!'

Michael roared in anger and suddenly slammed both his feet into Spike's chest. Spike let go of him and staggered backwards. Michael landed awkwardly, but quickly pulled himself into a defensive stance. Spike glared at him, all signs of amusement gone from his face.

'You know you can't beat me, Mike,' he said quietly.

Michael smiled and said, 'I'd like to test that theory.'

Spike ran at Michael with his fangs bared, but Michael managed to beat him back with a series of fast and accurate blows. Spike stumbled on his heels and Michael kicked out at him, but Spike dodged the attack and punched Michael in the mouth. Michael's head snapped to one side and he spat blood. Spike lunged at his exposed neck, but he was suddenly hurled back by an unseen force and went crashing into the wall of the cave.

Emma was on her feet. She had thrust her hands in Spike's direction, palms outwards, and was now frozen in that position, breathing heavily.

'Emmy!' Michael exclaimed, wiping the last of the blood from his mouth, 'your telekinetic powers have activated!'

'Yeah,' said Emma, 'they sure have.'

Spike pulled himself to his feet and ran to attack again, but this time Emma was his intended target. She jabbed her right hand at him, throwing him back once more. Spike snarled and attempted another lunge at her, whereupon she caught him in a field of telekinetic energy and slammed him against the cave roof several times.

'Yes!' Michael exclaimed in delight. 'Go, Emmy!'

Emma exhaled heavily and slumped forward, grasping her knees. Spike yelled as he fell to the floor. He dragged himself to his feet, slowly and painfully. Emma forced herself to stand up straight again, and Michael moved to stand shoulder to shoulder with her.

'You know what?' said Spike, laughing again now. 'Sod this!'

He gave Michael and Emma a curt bow, then he retreated into the shadows at the back of the cave.

'Where are you going?' Michael called after him.

'Someplace far away from Egypt, just like you said I should,' Spike's voice wafted back to him. 'You can keep your Medjai blood, and your Supreme Medjai powers! I'll miss you, Mike, and I wish you lots of luck with your future Medjai career... you and your – ahem! – _niece_. Speaking of which, it looks like you're not the next Supreme Medjai after all, doesn't it? Well, never mind. As for me, I think I'll give true love one more try. After all, if it worked for the Supreme Medjai, why shouldn't it work for me? You won't see me again – none of the Medjai Order will, you have my word on that. Ta-ta, kiddies – make sure you always play nicely together, won't you?'

And then there was silence. Michael and Emma both stared for some time at the point where Spike had disappeared, then Michael took a few tentative steps forward and peered into the darkness.

'I think he's gone down the tunnel,' said Michael. 'Do you think he's gone down the tunnel? He must've gone down the tunnel.'

He turned to find that Emma had collapsed to the floor. Her breath was coming in rattled gasps, and her neck had started bleeding quite badly. Michael let out a cry of distress and ran to her side.

'That really... took it out of me,' Emma panted, smiling up at Michael through the pain. 'I think... I'd like to go home now.'

'Emmy,' said Michael, grasping her hand, 'I can't ever thank you enough for saving my life. But why did you come here by yourself? Why didn't you tell someone where you thought I was? You shouldn't have put yourself in mortal danger for me!'

'I didn't know... that's what I was doing,' Emma replied. 'When your mom said... you'd run away... I knew you'd be here... but I didn't know you'd have a vampire with you! I thought you'd just... be sulking or something.'

'Oh my God,' Michael wailed, covering his face with his free hand, 'it's all my fault!'

'No,' said Emma, squeezing his hand. 'I still... could've told someone... but I didn't want them... finding out about our secret place. Besides... I wanted to find you myself... and to help you myself.'

'You sure did that!' said Michael, wiping his streaming eyes. 'Oh, Emmy...'

'I didn't realise... you were hoping to be the next Supreme Medjai,' said Emma, smiling wryly at him. 'I'm sorry... to have to disappoint you.'

Michael laughed, then he leaned in and brushed his lips against Emma's cheek to bestow the briefest, tenderest kiss in the history of the world.

'Do you think you can walk?' he asked, jumping back to his feet.

'I... can try,' said Emma.

'I'm going to help you,' said Michael. 'Here, put your arm around me.'

Michael helped Emma to her feet and supported her as best he could. The two took a few tentative steps towards the cave entrance.

'Don't be afraid to lean more heavily than that,' said Michael. 'I can take all of your weight if you need me to.'

'Okay,' said Emma, allowing her feet almost to drag. 'Thanks, Mikey.'

* * *

Michael approached the Medjai Academy with Emma's unconscious body in his arms, supporting her by the shoulders and backs of the knees. Almost collapsing with exhaustion, Michael was relieved to see the illusory entrance shimmer out of existence, then a familiar figure leapt down from the watchtower.

'Alex!' Michael called croakily, then he fell to his knees on the sand, making sure to maintain his grip on Emma despite his collapse.

'Mikey!' Alex called as he ran up to them. 'Emmy! What the hell is going on here?'

'Alex,' Michael panted, as he wept with exertion, pain and relief, 'I... you... we...'

'Okay,' said Alex, 'there'll be time for explanations when we've gotten you two straightened out. Do you think you can walk a little further, Mike?'

'Yes,' said Michael. 'I'll be okay in a minute.'

Alex nodded, then he bent to lift Emma into his arms. He gasped in horror when he saw the red marks and dried blood on his daughter's neck.

'The vampire!' he exclaimed. 'But how... no, don't tell me anything now – let's just get you two inside.'

Alex turned and strode towards the entrance. Michael groaned as he pulled himself back to his feet, then he limped along in his brother's wake.

* * *

Michael and Emma were both sitting on Michael's bed, drinking tea and eating biscuits. Alex was on a chair beside the bed, looking at Michael with an impassive expression on his face.

'So, yeah,' said Michael, taking another sip of tea, 'that's the whole story, Alex.'

'That cave...' said Alex. 'It's the one where the Scarab took Yanit, and where Elder Garth hid out. And now you two almost died there!'

'We thought you didn't know about that cave, Dad,' Emma remarked conversationally.

'You thought wrong, sweetheart,' said Alex. 'I checked there for the vampire myself the first day we went out searching, but there was no sign of him then.'

'I told Spike about the cave the night after you checked it,' Michael realised.

'So he was hiding there while we were searching everywhere else!' said Alex.

'I guess so,' said Michael.

'What happened to the vampire in the end?' Alex asked. 'You didn't tell me that.'

'Well,' said Michael, 'you see, Alex, the thing about that is... I mean, what actually happened was -'

'Mikey killed him,' Emma cut in. 'He drove a Medjai staff through Spike's heart and he, like, crumbled to dust.'

Michael gave her a look, but she avoided his eye.

'That reminds me,' she continued, 'we left two Medjai staffs in the cave; we'll have to go back and get them sometime.'

'Never mind about the staffs!' said Alex, suddenly looking grave. 'There are more important things that need to happen because of this little adventure of yours!'

'Alex, I know I made a huge mistake,' said Michael. 'In fact I made a _series_ of huge mistakes!'

'I'll say you did!' said Alex.

'I was lying to myself all along,' said Michael. 'I thought I could get something out of my deal with Spike; I convinced myself I was still in control, no matter what happened. I was sure I could get the better of him when the time came, but I should've known he'd be several steps ahead of me. I've learned the most valuable lesson of my life, but I put us all in danger to do it. I'm sorry, Alex.'

'You really think that's enough?' Alex said darkly.

'Of course it's enough, Dad,' said Emma, squeezing Michael's hand. 'Mikey really came through in the end – he was super brave and he totally kicked Spike's ass! I think we should chalk the whole thing up to experience and get on with the rest of our lives.'

'It's not that easy, Emmy,' said Alex.

'Alex, I don't know what else I can say,' Michael said helplessly, looking at his brother with pleading eyes.

'You've said enough, and you've _done_ enough!' Alex snarled. 'You stupid, stupid little boy! You can't possibly realise the seriousness of what you've done! How could I ever have given you a purple sash? I'll never forgive you for endangering my daughter's life – never!'

'But... but Alex...' said Michael, blinking back tears.

'Shut up!' Alex yelled. 'You're way more trouble than you're worth, Mike, and you always have been! Do you know why Yanit isn't here right now? She went out looking for Emma, even though she's heavily pregnant! That means you've endangered the lives of _both_ my children today!'

'Alex, I haven't!' Michael wept.

'You have!' Alex bawled.

'But Yanit's only _fairly_ heavily pregnant,' said Michael. 'I'm sure she'll be fine, and the baby!'

Alex gave Michael a filthy look, then he took Emma firmly by the arm and guided her to her feet.

'My daughter needs to get some sleep now,' said Alex, 'and I need to take care of her, but after that...'

Alex left the sentence unfinished as he turned his back on his brother and hauled his daughter towards the door. Emma threw a helpless look over her shoulder at Michael; Michael jumped to his feet and ran to put a hand on Alex's free arm.

'Alex, pl... -'

Michael was cut off as Alex whirled around and punched him in the face. Emma screamed as Michael flew across the room and slammed into the far wall, before crumpling to the floor. With tears in her eyes, Emma got a final fleeting glance of Michael dragging himself into a sitting position and crying bitterly into his hands before she was hauled from the room.

* * *

Emma was lying with her head in Yanit's lap, having her hair stroked. Alex sat down on the edge of Emma's bed and peered at her neck.

'Those puncture wounds have almost healed,' he remarked. 'At least that's something.'

'It was Mikey who actually got punctured,' Emma reminded him, 'not me.'

'You're still the one who ended up with the wounds!' Alex pointed out.

'Emmy, you've been so brave,' said Yanit. 'We couldn't be more proud of you, could we, Alex?'

'No, we couldn't,' Alex sighed, placing his head in his hands. 'Emmy, I owe you a massive apology. I should've talked to you about your Supreme Medjai powers – I should've done it weeks ago! I really meant to and I knew I was a coward to hold back, but I kept putting it off because... well, I just can't believe you're growing up so fast and I guess I was kind of in denial. But most importantly of all, sweetheart, I didn't want to mess with your head because I know how unhelpful that can be to a young Medjai, but now I've ended up doing it worse than ever!'

Emma gave Alex a small smile and reached out to hold his hand.

'It's fine, Dad,' she said. 'I totally understand how you felt and why you didn't tell me, but there's something else that I _don't_ understand and I simply _can't_ forgive you for.'

'There is?' said Alex. 'What's that?'

'The way you treated Mikey,' said Emma. 'You shouldn't have gone off at him like that and you _definitely_ shouldn't have hit him, Dad! It was really brave of him to give himself to Spike to protect the rest of us, because that's what he did, however you cut it! He made a mistake and he learned his lesson, and that's all anyone should ever ask of anyone else! Mikey's your little brother, but you treated him like he wasn't even a person! Just think for a moment, Dad – what has he done that you have not done yourself?'

Alex stared at Emma for a few moments, then he went red and looked away.

'You're right,' he said quietly. 'What Mike did, I did myself many times, and I was always forgiven by the people who loved me. Emmy, I'm ashamed.'

'Don't be ashamed, Dad,' said Emma. '_Do_ something about it!'

Evy chose that moment to enter Emma's bedroom, looking worried and grave.

'Michael says he's going to drop out of the Medjai Academy and come back to London with me,' she announced.

'Isn't that what you wanted, Evy?' Yanit asked quietly.

'Not like this, and I only wanted him to take a break, not drop out!' said Evy. 'He feels he's disgraced both the Order and his family, and he doesn't blame you, Alex, for hitting him or for not trusting him anymore.'

'Oh my God,' Alex breathed, wiping his streaming eyes. 'Mikey...'

He jumped to his feet and dashed from the room, followed closely by Evy. Emma adopted a determined expression, pulled away from her mother, rose to her feet and started to follow.

'Emmy, where are you going?' Yanit fretted.

'I'm going to see what happens with Mikey,' said Emma.

'You mustn't, darling,' said Yanit. 'You need to rest.'

'I _need_ to see Mikey!' Emma insisted, then she ran from the room.

* * *

Michael was sitting on the edge of his bed with a bruised, swollen, half-closed right eye, turning his purple sash over and over in his hands. He looked up when Alex entered the room, then he hurled his sash away.

'You're right, Alex!' Michael wept. 'I don't deserve it – I don't deserve _any_ Medjai sash!'

'You _do_, Mikey!' Alex told him tearfully. 'I was wrong; horribly, selfishly, thoughtlessly wrong! Please don't drop out of the Medjai Academy – I want you to stay, I really do!'

Michael's lip wobbled and he burst into fresh tears. As Evy and Emma watched from the doorway, Alex ran to his brother and threw his arms around him. Michael hugged Alex back, sobbing relentlessly onto his chest.

'Mikey, I'm so sorry for everything I said to you!' said Alex. 'I didn't mean any of it and I'm utterly ashamed of myself! You're not a stupid little boy – you're brave and loyal and loving and wonderful and I'm really, really glad you're my little brother – I couldn't have asked for a better one.'

Michael stopped crying and looked into Alex's eyes. Alex smiled at him, and Michael smiled back. A red glow started to appear around Michael's black eye. Michael frowned and pulled away from Alex.

'No,' said Michael. 'I want to keep it and wait for it to heal naturally, to make sure I'll always remember the lesson I've learned.'

'But darling, it'll be agony!' said Evy.

'No pain, no gain,' Michael said firmly.

Alex smiled and said, 'I'll make a deal with you, bro. You can keep the black eye if you also keep your purple sash. No matter what anyone says, you _have_ earned it and you _do_ deserve it! The Supreme Medjai has spoken.'

Michael smiled and nodded. Emma went to where the purple sash was lying on the floor, and picked it up. Michael came over to her and she slipped it over his left shoulder.

'Come on, Mom,' said Alex, rising to his feet, 'I think we're done here.'

Alex steered Evy from the room, leaving Michael and Emma alone. They smiled at each other.

'You look wonderful in this,' said Emma, giving the sash a light stroke.

'You should be moved straight up to orange after what you did, Emmy,' said Michael. 'We should've realised your Supreme Medjai powers were activating – that's how you managed to break all those arrows at once.'

'I've felt it happening for several weeks now. I wanted to tell you, but you seemed so distant.'

'I'm so sorry, Emmy. I'll never forgive myself for what I've put you through.'

'Well you should, because _I've_ forgiven you,' Emma told him firmly. 'But I have to admit, I wish you would've told _me_ how you were feeling about what your mom said, instead of some random vampire.'

'So do I,' Michael assured her, laughing slightly, 'now.'

Simultaneously, they moved into a close embrace and then clung on to each other in silence for some time.

'Why did you lie about me killing Spike?' Michael suddenly asked.

'Because Dad wasn't going to let it rest,' said Emma. 'Spike killed Iqbal. But I just wanted the whole thing over and done with!'

'Yeah, me too,' said Michael. 'But do you think it really is?'

'I'm almost sure of it,' said Emma. 'I think Spike will keep his word not to bother us again. You succeeded in defeating him, even though you didn't kill him, and I didn't want my dad to think you'd failed.'

'I didn't expect you to lie to Alex for me, Emmy. I mean, I'd never expect that of you.'

'I'd do anything for my favourite uncle.'

'I'm your only uncle,' Michael pointed out.

'Maybe so,' said Emma, 'but I also have a _great_-uncle, and I wouldn't do absolutely _anything_ for him. I certainly wouldn't die for him.'

'You shouldn't have offered to trade your life for mine, Emmy,' said Michael. 'Yours is more important.'

'Like I said before, _I_ don't think so,' said Emma. 'Besides, I only did for you what you did for me, when you told Spike to leave me alone and kill you instead.'

'You're the next Supreme Medjai, Emmy,' said Michael. 'Do you really think I'm worth the sacrifice?'

Emma smiled and said, 'Let's just hope we never have to find out, Mikey... because I know you won't agree with my answer.'

Neither of them seemed to have anything else to say for the moment, but they remained holding each other in the middle of the room, and seemed likely to stay that way for quite some time.

* * *

Alex climbed into bed next to Yanit, who immediately started stroking his chest and kissing his neck.

'I don't know how you can bear to touch me, Yanit,' said Alex.

'I can bear to touch you because you're my gorgeous love machine and I want to crank your handle,' Yanit purred. 'Or maybe handle your crank...'

'I'll never forgive myself for what I've done to those kids!' Alex said bitterly. 'First I treated Mike too softly, then I completely blew up at him for no reason, and I didn't talk to Emma about her powers even though I knew I should!'

'Oh, Alex,' Yanit sighed. 'You're still my poor, sweet, sensitive boy, aren't you? Remember, you _did_ have a reason for blowing up at Mike, even if you went a little overboard.'

'I should never have treated him like that, no matter what he'd done,' said Alex. 'I'm a failure as a brother and as a father!'

'Hey, now you just stop that self-pitying rubbish right now, okay?' Yanit said sternly. 'You're not infallible, Alex, and no one expects you to be!'

'But I'm the Supreme Medjai.'

'So what? No one stops making mistakes, and learning from them; not even the Supreme Medjai! If you're determined to beat yourself up about all this, at least let me shoulder some of the blame. I'm the one who stopped you going to check on Mike the night he met the vampire. And that phenomenon is hardly anything new, is it? You've missed so many important danger signs over the years because the two of us have been having sex at the time!'

'That's _my_ fault, Yanit,' said Alex. 'I've just never been able to get enough of you.'

'The feeling's always been more than mutual, Alex,' Yanit assured him. 'We can learn a lot from this whole sequence of events, but we mustn't let it eat away at us. Michael and Emma both did brilliantly against the vampire, they're both still alive, the vampire's gone... what more is there to say?'

'Iqbal's gone too.'

'You can't possibly blame yourself for _that_!'

'I don't... but it still hurts to remember that it's true.'

'Oh, Alex, of course it does.'

'I'm so proud of our daughter, Yanit,' said Alex. 'I don't think I made that clear enough to her; I must tell her again in the morning.'

'I hope you're proud of your brother too,' said Yanit.

'Yes,' said Alex, 'I am. I'll speak to him as well.'

'You know,' said Yanit, 'I always worried that Michael would lead Emma into mortal danger someday because of his carelessness, but as it turned out, she _followed_ him into it to save his life because she loves him so much. Somehow, I can't think badly of either of them for that.'

'Nor can I,' said Alex, snaking an arm around his companion's shoulders. 'Yanit, I'm sorry I've been wallowing in self-pity. Do you still feel like handling my crank?'

'Always,' Yanit purred. 'Well, usually... including right now! Alex, you remember when we used to talk about taking early retirement from the Medjai life?'

'Sure,' said Alex, 'but that was when it was just the two of us.'

'True,' said Yanit, 'but maybe we really _can_ retire five to ten years from now without even bothering to transfer your powers to anyone, if Emmy feels like becoming the next Supreme Medjai a little earlier than she might. We'd live in Cairo rather than on a tropical island, of course, but we could certainly afford to take a big step back, if we wanted to.'

'It's definitely worth bearing in mind,' said Alex. 'But we'd have to make sure not to become so wrapped up in each other that we started neglecting our children. That can happen, you know.'

'You don't think we've been doing it so far, do you?'

'No... no, I'm sure we haven't.'

'We'll have to be careful to keep watching for the danger signs,' said Yanit. 'Although I don't think there can be any harm in my doing _this_ from time to time...'

'Aaah!' Alex exclaimed. 'Now _that_ is definitely cranking my handle!'

'Has it got you ticking over?' Yanit asked.

'Very much so,' Alex replied.

'Good,' Yanit purred. 'Just let me know when you're fully warmed up.'

'Do you think Mike really staked that vampire, or they let it go?' said Alex.

'I don't know,' said Yanit. 'Does it matter?'

'I guess not, so long as it's really gone for good,' said Alex. 'It might matter to James and Saf, but they seem quite happy with Emmy's version of events so... ah! Do you know something, Yanit? I feel really warm now!'

Yanit grinned, then they both moved their positions under the covers, and Alex reached out to extinguish the light.


End file.
